Nadal Has Barcelona Centre Court Named After Him

A handful of ATP World Tour legends have had a stadium named in their honour long after their playing days, but Rafael Nadal received that recognition while still at the top of his game at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

Nadal took part in a special court naming ceremony on Wednesday that officially crowned the stadium Pista Rafa Nadal. The nine-time champion also scored a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 second-round victory that day over Rogerio Dutra Silva.

"I want to thank the club for this honour. It's one of the most important tournaments for me, one of the courts where I had the best moments of my career,” said Nadal. "This place has meant a lot to me and the club deciding to name the centre court with my name makes it even more special".

After becoming the first man in the Open Era to win the singles title at an event on 10 occasions with his victory last week at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Nadal could replicate that feat just seven days later in Barcelona. He plays Kevin Anderson on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals.